A TRILOGY FOR SPICE LOVERS

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Three bakes for those who love spices, so wonderful anytime, but particularly in the Fall and Winter. They make you warm inside, ready to start dreaming of fireplaces and cozy sweaters. At least they do that for me, pretty shocking for a tropical being, right?

Let’s start with cake…This is a thing of beauty and also flavorful, moist, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, the kind of cake that if you are a spice lover, you will fall in love at first bite. The cream cheese frosting is perfect to add that little brightness. And Nutella? Need I say more? The recipe comes from The Baking Goddess Helen Fletcher, and I urge you to visit her site for the detailed tutorial (click here).

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE AND NUTELLA FROSTING
(from Helen Fletcher’s Pastries Like a Pro)

for the cake component:
2 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (300 grams)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams, 1 stick or 8 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream (225 grams)
2 large eggs

for the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (225 grams)
1 pound powdered sugar (454 grams)
Milk or cream as needed if too stiff to spread
1/2 cup Nutella

Heaat the oven to 350°. Line a 10×15 jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray the paper and sides of the pan with a non-stick baking release. Set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Place the brown sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Mix them on medium to bring them together then raise to medium high and beat until very light in color and texture, scraping as necessary. Add the pumpkin and mix on low It will curdle, Add the sour cream and eggs, beating on low to medium low It too will curdle Add the flour mixture and mix on low initially, then move to medium and beat until completely combined, scraping often. Do not over beat.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, Spread it evenly in the pan. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until a tester comes out clean and it springs back slightly when lightly touched, Cool it completely on a rack. Go around the edges with a small metal spatula and turn it out onto a cake board. Remove the parchment and turn it right side up.

Make the frosting: Place the softened cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a mixer. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. Mix on low until it comes together, the raise the speed to medium and beat it until it is white and fluffy. Do not mix on high or you can incorporate a lot of air bubbles which are hard to get out when you spread the frosting.

Place the cake in front of you so the long side in is front of you. It should measure about 10 by about 14″. Divide the layer in half so you have two 7×10″ pieces. Place one piece on a cake board and spread half the frosting over it. Pace the second piece on top and spread the remainder of the frosting evenly and smoothly over the top.

Place about 1/2 cup Nutella in a piping bag fitted with a #7 plain tip (about 3/8″). Place the cake with the 7″ side in front of you. Pipe straight lines from one side to the other about 1 1/2″ apart. Immediately drag the toothpick from top to bottom starting on the left side of the cake. Continue across the cake every 1 1/2″ or however close you want the chevrons. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours or overnight. When chilled, trim the edges of the cake so it is neat. Cut three across and four down for 12 pieces.
The cake should be kept refrigerated if not serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Leave it to Helen to come up with absolutely perfect recipes, that she teaches with step-by-step photos in her blog. If you are not a subscriber, you are missing pure gold! I donated the cake whole, but the “trimmings” were my taste to judge the deliciousness. Passed with flying colors, please give this cake a try.

Moving on…

VADOUVAN CURRY SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

400g bread flour
100g Nature’s Path Baker’s Blend Flour (or use spelt or whole-wheat)
350g water
75g sourdough starter (at 60% hydration)
10g salt
1/2 to 1+1/2 tsp Vadouvan curry

Mix all ingredients in the bowl or a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead on low speed for about 4 minutes, adjust dough with flour is needed (I like to have it still glueing to the bottom of the bowl as it spins).

Transfer to an oiled bowl and ferment until doubled in size (remove a little bit of a dough to a small glass vial to follow the progress of fermentation). Perform a set of folds at 45 minutes intervals five times, which should take you about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Let the dough alone for the remainder of bulk fermentation. Shape as a batard, set in the fridge overnight.

If you so desire, add some red yeast powder to the surface, but that is optional. You can simply use Thai rice flour, or white flour. Score and bake at 450F in a Dutch oven with the lid on for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for additional 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: As far as scoring the bread, nothing could be simpler and it ends up so dramatic, I loved it. I was inspired by this reel on IG, which shows how to do it. I used Nature Path’s flour simply because I saw it at our grocery store, so don’t think you need to spcial order it. Just make your total flour 500g using either all bread flour or other options you have around.

Moving on…

CINNAMON SANDWICH COOKIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE FILLING

I will say something quite shocking: maybe these are the most delicious cookies I’ve ever made, so I urge you to get you hands on a copy of THE PERFECT COOKIE, by America’s Test Kitchen. You might be able to find the recipe online if you google. I actually found this one that is slightly modified. She used cardamon, the original recipe uses aniseed powder, which is an amazing ingredient.

If you love spices, I hope you give these three recipes a try, they were absolutely perfect!

1 YEAR AGO: Southern Style Skillet Cornbread

2 YEARS AGO: Bolo do Caco, a Bread from Madeira Island

3 YEARS AGO: Silikomart Raggio

4 YEARS AGO: Cremino a la Nociolla

5 YEARS AGO: Roasted Broccoli and Apple Salad with Tahini Dressing

6 YEARS AGO: A Different Kind of Cookie Swap

7 YEARS AGO: Scary Good Recipes for your next Halloween

8 YEARS AGO: Pumpkin Sourdough

9 YEARS AGO: First Monday Favorite

10 YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Paalak Paneer, a Farewell Post

11 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, November 2015

12 YEARS AGO: Helen Fletcher’s Oatmeal Cookies

13 YEARS AGO: Thai-Style Pesto with Brown Rice Pasta

14 YEARS AGO: Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

15 YEARS AGO: A Simple Appetizer (Baked Ricotta)

16 YEARS AGO: Sour Cream Sandwich Bread

17 YEARS AGO: Pasta with Zucchini Strands and Shrimp

4Nov2026

POTATO SKULL BITES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Air-Frying, Small Dishes, Veggies by sallybr

Yes, Halloween is over, but I still need to share with you my very last adventure with the intriguing, mesmerizing, fascinating skull shape. Many recipes around, but I went super simple. Mashed potatoes, cornstarch, a little milk, and two different ways to shape them.Both finalized in the air-fryer, making it easy to serve it for company. You can do all the prep before, and simply fry them when the guests are ready to be very, very frightened.

POTATO SKULL BITES
(inspired by several sources)

2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
salt and ground black pepper to taste
a tough of nutmeg
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tqblespoons of whole milk

Boil the potatoes pieces in plenty of salted water until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and pass through a potato siever. Add a little salt and pepper, then the cornstarch and milk. The rice potatoes will be very hot, so carefullly mix them with a spoon or your hands until a dough forms.

Press the mixture into your skull mold. If using a metal pan, bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan. Reserve.

If using a silicone mold, freeze them for 30 minutes, remove the little skulls and bake at 350F over parchment paper for about 15 minues. Rexerve.

Finalize them in the air-fryer at 400F after spraying a good amount of olive oil on the surface. Alternatively fry them with a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Season with salt if needed, serve still warm.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The general advice is that the potato skulls should be baked for a short time before frying, so that some of the moisture is evaporated. If you are using a metal pan such as the NordicWare, you can bake them in it. Make sure to press the potato mixture very tightly. It will puff just a bit during baking, so you can fill it to the top and level it. This is what they will look like after baking at 350F for about 15 minutes. Some of the definition of the skull is lost but with the next step in the fryer they will become move vivid again. No worries.

If you use a silicone pan such as this one, it is best to freeze the mixture for a full 30 minutes, and then remove the little skulls, bake them over parchment, again for about 15 minutes. Once they are out of the mold, the features are really sharp and stay than way throughout baking and air-frying.

Once they are all baked, you can save in the fridge for hours or even overnight. Spray then with olive oil, and air-fry at 400F or as high as your fryer goes, until golden. Season with salt and enjoy! They are frightfully delicious, impossible to stop at one skull………

1 YEAR AGO: Incredibly Simple Shrimp and Squash Dinner

2 YEARS AGO: Japanese Vegetarian Curry

3 YEARS AGO: Butter Chicken Meatballs

4 YEARS AGO: Lace-Decorated Sourdough

5 YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Carrots

6 YEARS AGO: Sarah Bernhardt’s Cookies

7 YEARS AGO: A Really Big Announcement

8 YEARS AGO: Stir-Fried Chicken in Sesame-Orange Sauce

9 YEARS AGO: Monday Blues

10 YEARS AGO: A New Way to Roast Veggies

11 YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

12 YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree

13 YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

14 YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

15 YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

16 YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread: Basic Country Loaf

17 YEARS AGO: Pugliese Bread

31Oct2026

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Posted in Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Trying to control my tears, allow me to just focus on the festivities, not the cruel fact that we will have to wait another 365 days to embrace the creepy and scary… I share four different bakes to celebrate the day: two types of cookies, cupcakes, and Chocolate-Covered Oreos.

LINZER-STYLE GHOST COOKIES

LINZER-STYLE NUTELLA GHOST COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

300 g all-purpose flour (2½ cups, spooned and leveled)
200 g unsalted butter, softened but still cool
100 g powdered sugar (about ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine salt

Filling and finishing
Americolor white food gel color
Nutella
black non-pareils

Beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy, about 1–2 minutes. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.

Divide the dough into two flat discs, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll without sticking. Roll the dough between sheets of parchment to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut matching pairs of cookies using a round, fluted, or heart-shaped cutter. Cut a small window in the center of half the cookies. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.

Paint white Americolor over the cookies that will be the top. Freeze all cookies for 15 minutes then bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, until edges start to get golden. Cool completely on a rack. Fill with Nutella, add little black non-pareils for the eyes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I wanted to make an almond-free cookie, to avoid having the volunteers at the homeless meal having to deal with possible allergies. This recipe turned out perfect, a similar texture, dough very nice to work with. Yu can use of course seedless raspberry jam instead of Nutella. The idea to paint the white on the top was to avoid having to shower them with powdered sugar. It is nice if you can serve them on a single layer on a platter, but I need to transport them with other cookies in a box, so the powdered sugar is a problem, This was my way to get a similar look without the messy top.

LITTLE SKULL COOKIES

LITTLE SKULL COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

4 cups (575 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon orange baking emulsion (LorAnn)
1 teaspoon caramel flavor (LorAnn)
2 large eggs, room temperature

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Reserve. Whisk the eggs with the flavorings in a small bowl. Reserve.

In the bowl of a KitchenAidd type mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and
fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the agave nectar and beat on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute more.

Add the egg mixture in four installments, beating in low-speed until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough in two portions, refrigerate for an hour or so.

To make the skulls, add 30g portions to the cavities of a mini skull pan (I used NordicWare). Bake at 350F for about 18 minutes, until the tops are getting golden brown. Remove the cookies to cool on a drying rack. Paint the surface with luster powder purple, brown, gray, or any color you like. You can also just serve them without painting.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Any sugar cookie recipe will work. In this case, because it bakes in the pan, I don’t mind a little baking powder, in fact I prefer to have some leavening agent so that the cookie itself has a lighter texture. You can use vanilla or other flavorings if you like. I often add agave nectar to my cookie dough, a trick I learned from Amber (@sweetambs). The cookies brown a little more and retain moisture longer.

MARSHMALLOW MONSTERS CUPCAKES

Any particular recipe will work, I used Chocolate cupcakes and vanilla buttercream (American style) for the frosting (check recipes in this post of my recent past). A swirl of orange with a 2D piping tip, sprinkles, and a piece of marshmallow decorated with black Royal icing to add the final touch.

CHOCOLATE COVERED OREOS

From top left to bottom right: Orange Dyed Candy Melts + black fondant decorations; Orange Dyed Candy Melts + Black Royal icing; Chocolate Transfer Sheet from Evil Cake Genius; Orange Dyed Candy Melts + Black Royal icing

1 YEAR AGO: Happy Halloween!

2 YEARS AGO: Halloween Brownies, Two Ways

3 YEARS AGO: Revving the Engines for Halloween

4 YEARS AGO: Happy Halloween from my Cookie Blog to You!

5 YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Carrots

6 YEARS AGO: Sarah Bernhardt’s Cookies

7 YEARS AGO: A Really Big Announcement

8 YEARS AGO: Stir-Fried Chicken in Sesame-Orange Sauce

9 YEARS AGO: Monday Blues

10 YEARS AGO: A New Way to Roast Veggies

11 YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

12 YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree

13 YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

14 YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

15 YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

16 YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread: Basic Country Loaf

17 YEARS AGO: Pugliese Bread

27Oct2026

SOURDOUGH, HALLOWEEN STYLE

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Scary times demand scary breads!

I confess to having way too much fun making breads with a Halloween twist… All formulas were pretty basic, although the ghost one contained semolina flour (I used this basic recipe). The other two were my default recipe that you can find here).

FLOATING GHOST SOURDOUGH

My favorite of this series, I made a little improvised stencil with regular printer paper, so that I could have two contrasting colors, black for the background and white for the ghost. I re-inforced the scoring after 7 minutes of baking, and added paper bits to get the lift.

JACK SKELLINGTON SOURDOUGH

The crooked smile was not intentional, but I do love that it happened… Very simple to bring this guy to “life”, just score the overall design, and make sure to remove the top layer of dough from the eyes for the best scary effect.

THE FLOATING BAT

I tried this design twice, first time was a complete fail. I am not totally satisfied with this version, but at least it got some resemblance of a bat ready to take off and scare people. I used black luster powder mixed with vodka to paint the creature. And a few bits of paper under the wings once the bread was in the oven for 7 minutes to get the lift.

I hope by now you are very, very scared….

Perhaps I am also having too much fun with ChatGPT…….

1 YEAR AGO: Graveyard Cupcakes

2 YEARS AGO: Muertos Rancheros

3 YEARS AGO: Scary Skull Bakes

4 YEARS AGO: Spicy Citrus Peanut Salad

5 YEARS AGO: Shrimp Stir-Fry, Kung Pao-Inspired

6 YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Steaks with Olive and Caper Salsa

7 YEARS AGO: Twice-Cooked Eggplant

8 YEARS AGO: Turkey Burger, Japanese-Style

9 YEARS AGO: Pumpkin Macarons

10 YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Whole Chicken

11 YEARS AGO: Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Frosting

12 YEARS AGO: Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Honey-Mustard Dressing

13 YEARS AGO: Bewitching Kitchen on Fire!

14 YEARS AGO: Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

15 YEARS AGO: Chiarello’s Chicken Cacciatore

16 YEARS AGO: Donna Hay’s Thai-Inspired Dinner

17 YEARS AGO: Panettone

23Oct2026

PERUVIAN-STYLE CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This was superb, I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. Contrary to what I normally do, the chicken was roasted at high temperature, but still turned out tender and juicy. The potatoes were incredibly tasty, maybe the best component of the dish. Inspired by a Milk Street version, but I modified it quite a bit.

PERUVIAN-STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS AND POTATOES
(inspired by Milk Street)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup Lager beer
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and ground black pepper
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds, enough to cover the surface of your skillet

Make a marinade by mixing in a bowl: 2 tablespoons oil, the beer, soy sauce, vinegar, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Place in a large ziplock bag, close and refrigerate for several hours (I marinated for 4 hours), massaging the pieces of chicken a few times during this period.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Pat the chicken dry and season lightly with salt.

In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until very hot. Add the potatoes in an even layer and cook until lightly browned at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the chicken skin side up on top of the potatoes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chicken is deeply browned and the thickest part of the leg quarters reach 175°F, about 50 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, let rest for about 10 minutes, then transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Yet another recipe that goes straight into our regular rotation, we are hooked! I brought the skillet to the table, but when I do it again, I will definitely transfer everything to a serving platter because… LOOK AT THE POTATOES when you flip them to reveal the side that was in contact with the pan:

Absolute perfection, the fat from the chicken transfer its taste to the potatoes, they turned brown but super moist and tender. I would eat just that for dinner and be a happy camper…